Matthew 14:22-33
Tiny Whispering
Rev. Jack Peterson
Reprinted with permission of "The Arlington Catholic Herald"

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Matthew wrote to show that Christ was the
Messiah and fulfilled the Jewish prophecies.

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray.  When it was evening he was there alone.  Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it.  During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the Sea.  When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified.  "It is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear.  At once (Jesus) spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."  Peter said to him in reply, "Lord, if it you, command me to come to you on the water."  He said, "Come."  Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus.  But when he saw how (strong) the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!"  Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"  After they got into the boat, the wind died down.  Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

Today I invite you to dive deeply into two very basic elements of our Christian faith that every Christian must address n a regular basis: prayer and trust.

We are offered a ;unique moment in the life of the prophet Elijah to help us reflect upon the process of learning to pray well.  The Lord tells Elijah to go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord because he intends to reveal himself in a powerful and personal way to his servant.  The prophet obediently leaves the cave to look for God.  In short succession, there appear a strong driving wind that crushes rocks, an earthquake and a great fire.  You sense that the prophet is fully expecting God to speak to him in a commanding way through those dramatic happenings.  However, following these three dramatic happenings, there was a tiny whispering sound.  Only then does Elijah hide his face in reverence and prepare for God to make himself known.

We learn so much from this experience of the great prophet.  It is true that God can and does speak to us through very dramatic events in our lives such as storms, earthquakes, illnesses or the loss of loved ones.  Sometimes, the big and dramatic events are the only way God can break through our stubbornness, pride, and selfishness, and remind us that we are not self-made and self-saved.  The Father is quite willing to turn our little world upside down to wake us up out of our stupor.

However, we learn from this story that God greatly desires to speak to us in the quiet of our hearts.  He wants us to learn to slow down and turn to him as a loving Father who desires to have a moment of personal dialogue with his beloved child.  God wants us to be disciplined enough to set aside time to be alone with him each day, to turn off social or other media, and master the art of setting aside life's countless distractions in order to be present to him, listen to him speak to him.  God greatly wants to communicate with us daily, especially through the sacred Scriptures.  He longs to engage us in a living, dynamic relationship.  Am I giving God that opportunity each day?  Am I learning the art of listening to his tiny, whispering voice?

Secondly, the Gospel for today invites us to ask ourselves if we are learning to place our trust in God.  Jesus sends his disciples across the Sea of Galilee while (very appropriately) he takes some time to enter into prayer with the Father.  Meanwhile, the disciples get caught in a windstorm while at sea.  Jesus proceeds to walk on the water toward them at which time they become terrified, thinking that they were seeking a ghost.  Jesus rebukes them with the words: "Take courage, it is I: Do not be afraid."  These words are incredibly important to us as Christians.

From a purely human standpoint, the disciples had every reason to be terrified.  The wind was howling, the waves were crashing up against the boat and they were stuck in the middle of a large lake.  It was reasonable to be full of fear.  Yet, Christ clearly wanted their faith to be a source of strength and courage in that moment.  He did not want their fear to overwhelm them.  He invited them to trust him.

Let's bring this message home.  Are you in the middle of a storm right now?  Are the waves crashing against your boat?  "Take courage. it is I" Do not be afraid."  Jesus wants you to turn to him for refuge and face your storm with new courage, trusting that he is near and that his care in immense.  He wants you to fight the tendency to focus on the waves and take your focus off of Jesus.  He wants you to be filled with an out-of-this world courage because you believe that he is truly present to you, is wise and strong, and loves you with an everlasting love. Our courage as Christians can be quite remarkable when we know in faith that Christ is right here, always by our side, and that he is most willing to grab us by the hand and pull us out of troubled waters.